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Patricia Williams: Mentees of 100 Black Men chapter to be presented Saturday

Published 1:12 p.m. ET June 1, 2016

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Surrounding Mayor Rogero, center, are mentees who ushered at the Mayor's Conference on Neighborhoods. The adults pictured are, kneeling, Past President Andre Canty, left, and Rick Staples. At far left is City Councilman Daniel Brown and far right, Eston Williams, president of 100 Black Men of Greater Knoxville Chapter.(Photo: Special to the News Sentinel)Buy Photo

Zaevion Dobson attending the 2015 100 Black Men Gala. (Photo: Special to the News Sentinel)

Mentees attended a service at Mother Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C., where nine church members were shot to death. Flowers and wreaths left by mourners are in the background. (Photo: Special to the News Sentinel)

'It's something to see those young men at the gala, to showcase them and let folks know that these are our young men that we are proud of,' Eston Williams, president of 100 Black Men of Greater Knoxville Chapter, said referring to the group's mentees.

'It's because of these young men that this organization exists,' Williams said.

The 27 mentees will be presented in tuxedos complete with cummerbunds and bow ties at the 21st Annual 100 Black Men Gala at 7 p.m., Saturday, June 4, at the Holiday Inn World's Fair in downtown Knoxville. The black-tie event includes dinner and dancing. Admission is $60 and is tax deductible.

The guest speaker will be Vol for Life Bobby Maze, who coaches AAU basketball and is director of BMAZE Elite AAU Basketball Club.

Last year's theme, 'I Am My Brother's Keeper,' will be continued this year, but will be bittersweet. The banquet will honor deceased Zaevion Dobson, a mentee of the group for five years. Dobson, 15, was killed in December while shielding friends from sudden gunfire that erupted in his neighborhood.

'I'm proud that he (Dobson) wasn't doing anything wrong. That speaks well of him, and of all of our mentees. It shows what our mentees have to deal with,' said Williams. 'In 22 years we have never had this type of circumstance.'

'This (past year) has been a very difficult time for the organization,' said Rick Staples, vice president. He recounted the recent losses of parents and siblings among the mentors; grandparents, uncles and aunts among the mentees and their shared loss of Dobson that struck all of them. The group held counseling sessions with members, mentees and parents to talk about loss and ways to cope with it, Staples said.

'Young people are very resilient. But we have to keep a careful watch on how they process (loss) and consistently check in with them over time,' said Staples. Regular monthly meetings include discussions on relationships, responsibility, first impressions and respect and will sometimes feature a local celebrity guest speaker.

'What they see is what they will be, so we have to let them see by exposing them to as much as we possibly can,' said Staples, who refers to the mentees as 'our future leaders.' As mentoring chairman, Staples is responsible for arranging and supervising activities with volunteer, educational or inspirational benefits such as shadowing firefighters and law enforcement officers.

Annual volunteer activities include ushering at the Mayor's Annual Neighborhoods Conference and participating in the East Knoxville Community Cleanup, community homecomings and parades. The mentees volunteer at homeless shelters and the Love Kitchen and prepare food baskets for seniors during the holidays. They recently took up shovels to help develop a trail at Knoxville Botanical Gardens and worked the Beck Center Eighth of August event at Chilhowee Park, just to name a few.

A list of their travels include college campuses, Buffalo Soldiers, Civil Rights and African-American Museums; Mother Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C.; educational day trips; and an annual retreat with parents, among many others.

'You won't find our guys with their pants sagging and acting out of character — that's just not going to happen. We teach them eye-to-eye contact, 'Yes ma'am,' 'No sir.' We give them a well-rounded introduction into society and how they should behave. Now when we first got some of them, you couldn't say that, but we have cultivated them to stand among society's best and not embarrass us,' said Williams. 'Their parents trust us and see the development that comes from them being with us.'

The Knoxville chapter boasts a 98 percent high school graduation rate among its future leaders. Boys can enter the program as early as fourth grade. Williams said most of them never leave. Those that have aged out of the program return occasionally to help mentor and tutor new recruits, while others stay in touch for guidance and advice, he said.

Almost all of mentees have various successful careers that include business owners, ministers, attorneys and morticians. Some of them have technical careers, while others completed bachelor's and master's degrees. Those who continue to college get an annual $1,500 scholarship contingent on grades.

The program is free to participants. Williams said mentees' families don't spend a dime and the organization has no paid staffers. Funds are generated by the annual gala and a few corporate sponsors.

With only 26 active members, program enrollment is limited. The membership includes business owners, college-educated professionals and men shaped by their experiences. The group is seeking new members who can pass a background check and are good citizens. Group officers include Brandon McGill, treasurer; and Charles Brown, secretary. Committees and chairmen are: Health and Wellness, Bernard Bradley; Education, Brian Hartsell and Walter Mincer; Economic Development, Landon Dukes and Eston Williams.

'At the end of the day, it's all about these young men, if it weren't for them this organization would not exist,' Williams emphasized.

For more information, visit www.100bmok.org or find them on Facebook. To purchase tickets to the gala, email eston.williams@100bmok.org or teamrickstaples@gmail.com or any of the members.

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